Sneakerhead Galore: Hand Wipe Cleans Sneaker Instantly

Sneakers!! Ya can’t live without them and you surely can’t style without them either. You know that the sneaker genre is legit when CBS News is talking about it, too!

With the growing demand of sneakers and the need for exclusivity you need upkeep, right? TightWipes, a fairly new Staten Island, NY based company is doing their part to insure that. Developed by a Sneakerhead who was tired of the hassle of other sneaker cleaners on the market, the company’s goal was to create a fast and efficient way to clean and keep kicks looking fresh and new. With that idea intact, they went to a chemical engineer and developed a special cleaning formula: a pre-moistened, luxury, handy wipe that cleans and renews dirty shoes, boots, sneakers and much more. That’s like Purell for a sneaker! RESPECT. recently caught up with the brand to get the scoop on it.

RESPECT.: How did you come up with the concept of the product line?

TIGHTWIPES: The concept was created off of a word I grew up on. ‘Tight’ is a street expression for “looking good.” That car is Tight! That girl looks Tight! Sneakers are not just for sports, they play a big role in the Fashion, Urban and Hip Hop lifestyle. When you first meet someone footwear is one of the first things you notice. Kicks are major part of fashion and can put together a whole outfit and swag. Dirty kicks are not a good look. Keep your kicks looking clean and Tight! People understand it, they get “Tight Wipes!” They are feeling it!

RESPECT.:The “urban market” covers a wide demographic from Millennials to Hip Hop fans, X-gamers, etc. Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to give that market a new product or was Tight Wipes more of a personal quest for you?

TIGHTWIPES: I was always into Hip Hop. I was actually a tagger in my youth. Graffiti is a form of art. Hip hop, sneakers, grafftti and sneakers all co mingle. I always had my ear to the streets. If you respect the streets, the streets will respect you. I always loved sneakers and footwear! I wanted a product that I could use myself, something that was chill but actually worked to care for all my expensive sneakers. Something that when people saw it and used it, they would understand it.

RESPECT.: When did you launch the company officially? How long did it take to perfect your product before the launch?

TIGHTWIPES: I trademarked the product and launched the company on paper officially in January 2014 but I made sure my product not only met my standards, but exceeded them. After a year of testing and perfecting Tight Wipes, I brought it to the retail market in January 2015.

RESPECT.:What is it about your company and product line that stands out from your competitors?

TIGHTWIPES: We definitely are the original sneaker wipe! I know alot of other competitors saw what we were doing and bit off us.Biters! But others do not compare. We use higher end ingredients and materials that cost more money. We don’t water down our ingredients like some competitors. We don’t use just one ingredient, we researched and use a combination of several ingredients with different percentages to give a better cleaning effect. We don’t use shortcuts. We use the best of the best it’s that simple!” We keep it Tight!

RESPECT.:You’re based in New York and have an online ecommerce store, can people purchase the products in any stores?

TIGHTWIPES: Yes you can purchase Tight Wipes products in a lot of online stores and we sell exclusively on Amazon.com You can purchase in several brick and morter stores across the country and world. This is growing and changing everyday. We are currently adding a Tight Wipes locator to add to our website which will show you a Tight Wipes location in your city, state and location by where you live. The Tight Wipes locator option should be up and running live on our website tightwipes.com by this June.

RESPECT.: What is in the future for Tight Wipes for 2016?

TIGHTWIPES: Immediate growth and expansion of new Tight Wipes products. We are getting alot of attention from retail buyers, stores and consumers across the world. We should have 2 more Tight Wipes products added to the line and will be ready to hit the retail market by this June. We are anticipating several celebrity endorsement deals and have already been approached to partner with some big box retailers.”

RESPECT.: The hip hop market has a huge love for their kicks, are there any celebrities that have fallen in love with your product since launch? If so, whom?

TIGHTWIPES: We are currently working out some deals with some very well known celebrity’s, so at this time this is something we can’t disclose until the ink is dry, I’m sure you can understand; but we are open to entertaining any new celebrity offers.” Celebs and their managers love the product and love the concept and would love to work with us!!

RESPECT.:Do your products just clean kicks or do these materials help extend the life of leather and similar materials?

TIGHTWIPES: The Tight Wipes formula cleans and actually nourishes the material. It’s similar to how water is for the human body. You need it and absorb it! Tight Wipes protects the material from getting dirty. It makes it easier to clean the next time. Think of Tight Wipes as not just cleaning your sneakers but Tight Wipes is maintenance for your kicks and extends the life of the material”

About Brandon Robinson

Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson is a managing editor and columnist at RESPECT Magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @ScoopB and Instagram: @Scoop_B.
As a 12 year old, he was a Nets reporter from 1997-1999, co-hosting a show called Nets Slammin' Planet with former New Jersey Net Albert King and Nets play-by-play man Chris Carrino. He's also been a writer and radio host at CBS and a staff writer at The Source Magazine.
He's a graduate of both Eastern University and Hofstra University.
You can catch him daily on the Scoop B Radio Podcast. Visit ScoopBRadio.com to listen.
For inquiries and to contact Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson visit ScoopB.com
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